If you’ve been a fan of the Jonas Brothers since “Year 3000,” awaiting their seemingly endless six-year hiatus was most definitely a painful process. But the wait is over! The Jonas Brothers are back together, and they started out this new era with a music video for the ages.
The video for their new single, “Sucker,” was released at midnight on March 1, and every twenty-something girl (aka all of my friends and me) stayed up to watch. “Sucker” became the no. 1 song on iTunes overnight, and the video has upwards of 43.6 million views on YouTube.
This music video, dubbed a “family affair” by the brothers and interviewers alike, features Kevin’s wife, Danielle Jonas, Nick’s wife, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Joe’s fiancé, Sophie Turner. People have been tweeting nonstop about the ‘J Sisters,’ saying things like, “I always knew Sophie Turner was my favorite Jonas Brother,” and “Sorry @jonasbrothers we’re team #JSisters now.” Needless to say, fans are loving the inclusion of the Jonas Brothers’ significant others in this iconic music video. Can we blame them?
But what may surprise viewers is the history behind the video’s gorgeous setting. Filming took place in Hertfordshire, England (a city about 20 miles north of London) at the Hatfield House, better known as the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth I. As mentioned in an article posted by Yahoo Entertainment, a beautiful portrait of Elizabeth I can be seen hanging on a wall in the background of a few of the scenes. There was also a nod to Queen Elizabeth II when Danielle Jonas is seen walking multiple corgis, the Queen’s favorite dog breed.
But the “Sucker” music video isn’t the first big production to be filmed at the Hatfield House. Feature films like The Favourite, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2, Shakespeare in Love, Wonder Woman and The Crown all used this historical setting as their backdrop.
The Favourite, in particular, was influential in the making of the “Sucker” music video. There were scenes in the music video directly inspired by the film. One example, according to Town & Country Magazine, was an “over-the-top, candle-lit banquet, recalling that party Abigail (Emma Stone) got slightly inebriated at.” That scene and a few notable others (i.e. Joe after being tied up by Sophie) show fans that these aren’t the exact same Jonas Brothers they grew up listening to.
But some things never change. The morning of March 1, our favorite brothers did a video with iHeart Radio in which they reacted to fans’ reactions of the “Sucker” video. One fan said, “Nick Jonas doing falsetto cures everything,” to which he replied, “Not diabetes, he hasn’t cured that yet. I still have it” (that classic Nick Jonas humor we’ve been missing is back!). Another fan thanked them for making her life complete (same).
2019 marks a new era for the Jonas Brothers with more new music to be released soon. But if you need something to tide you over until then, watch this edit of “Sucker” set to the theme song of Friends. You’ll thank me later.